US President Joe Biden’s public route announced that he will be heading For Poland today (February 20). Instead, it is made an appearanceSince in the center of Kyiv.
“As the world prepares to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unwavering commitment to democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” an official said. Biden statement.
In an Instagram postUkrainian President Volodymyr ZelenskyThey called Biden’s visit “an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians.”
What is Biden doing in Ukraine?
According to the White House, Biden will announce:
🪖 another delivery of critical equipment including artillery munitions, anti-armour systems and air surveillance radars to help protect the people of Ukraine from aerial bombardment…
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🚫 …and additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine.
Why did Biden choose to visit Kyiv?
According to a scoop by Jim LaDoor for Rolling Stone magazine, which said it knew about the visit in advance and was asked to keep it secret, Biden had the option of meeting Zelensky at the Polish-Ukrainian border or in the western city of Lviv. But he insisted on visiting Ukraine’s besieged capital, which became a symbol of resistance during the battle for Kiev in the first weeks of the war when Russia tried to take the city.
Fun fact: Jill Biden visited Kyiv first
last May, first lady Jill Biden visited Kyiv on mother’s day. She met the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, 10 weeks after the Russian invasion.
A big number: $27 billion in military aid
Last week, the Pentagon announced a new $2.5 billion security package for Ukraine. The set includes armored vehicles and tanks, as well as ammunition and rockets for the HIMARS system that Ukraine used to successfully strike Russian command posts. Today’s announcement adds a 500 million fresh dollars.
In total, the United States has committed more than $27 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s initial invasion.
Biden is going to Poland…more
The office of the Polish president received a visit from Biden in pencil for February 21– and rightly so, it turns out.
In Poland, Biden is expected to discuss with President Andrzej Duda ways to build support for Ukraine.
In June of last year, Biden had already put in place permanent seat for US forces in Poland in response to Russian threats. In an interview with CBS yesterday (February 19), Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he and Biden would also discuss maybe increase Presence of American troops in Poland and make it more permanent.
Beware of Putin’s speech
On the day Biden visits Poland, Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver his Annual State of the Nation Address. One year ago, on February 21, 2022, Putin recognized The Ukrainian separatist regions of Lugansk and Donetsk are independent. A few days later, Russian tanks entered Ukraine.
This time, he is expected to announce a new military offensive in Ukraine this spring, doubling down on Russian claims that Zelensky is “washington puppet.”
Quote: The end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not in sight.
“Although it is very difficult to gather reliable information about what Russians think about the war, especially because of legitimate fears about the implications of saying anything critical, it seems that many Russians accept the messages of the Kremlin on the country’s activities in Ukraine. The end of the conflict is not yet in sight – and what form the end of the conflict will take is also far from clear. —Ben NobleAssociate Professor of Russian Politics at University College London
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